How Often Do You Need to Water a Pepper?

Peppers can thrive with proper moisture.

Whether you're growing sweet or hot peppers (Capsicum spp.), a proper watering process is essential to your success. Peppers are a warm-season vegetable that can't thrive without a moderate amount of water. The plants can grow as a perennial in gardens in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and up, and as an annual in the cooler climates. In addition to proper watering, use mulch and provide well-drained soil, because these can also help to regulate the moisture delivered to the plants during the growing season.

Water

Providing peppers with adequate water is essential from the moment the plants flower until the harvest. Deeply water the plants with 1 inch of water per week, and adjust the amount or frequency during hot, dry periods, after rainfall or if your soil is sandy and drains fast. Instead of flooding the soil with water when it's dry, keep it evenly moist. Drip irrigation is ideal for growing peppers, because it's economical, less labor intensive and delivers the water at the plant's roots without wetting the foliage and possibly triggering diseases.

Stress

Watering peppers too much or not enough can stress the plant and affect your yield. Overwatering the plants, for instance, might trigger standing water. This can lead to sunburned fruit and might cause the leaves to drop. Additionally, the excess water dilutes the nutrients in the soil, which also affects the plant's growth. If you neglect to water pepper plants, they might not set fruit and can wilt or their blossoms and buds might drop.

Soil

The soil you grow peppers in should drain well and ideally have a pH range between 5.5 and 7.0. Perform a soil test early in the planning process to determine the pH of the soil in your garden. Then incorporate amendments based on the test results. Also, work a 2-inch layer of compost into the top 6 inches of soil to promote drainage, because peppers can't thrive if their roots are soaked.

Mulch (See References 6)

Weeds can rob nutrients and water from pepper plants, which makes combating them essential. In cool areas, black plastic mulch can speed the soil-warming process for an early start to planting while simultaneously combating weeds and preserving soil moisture. Organic mulches, such as seed-free straw or grass clippings, can also prevent weeds and slow soil-moisture evaporation, but these are best spread around the plants once the soil has warmed to about 75 degrees Fahrenheit.